


Home

by Gabberwocky



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Nightmares, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:34:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12181224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabberwocky/pseuds/Gabberwocky
Summary: "It wasn’t a bad thing that Destiny Islands didn’t feel like home to them anymore. Honestly, it wasn’t."





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by my amazing discord group that I love.

It wasn’t a bad thing that Destiny Islands didn’t feel like home to them anymore. Honestly, it wasn’t. They had a home base of sorts in Radiant Gardens, two rooms to themselves magically added to Merlin’s house so they had a place to call theirs whenever they needed it.

So it wasn’t a bad thing Sora and Riku didn’t feel at home on the Islands, they had one in Radiant Gardens.

What _was_ a bad thing was the fact that their nightmares didn’t go away there either.

Riku’s nightmares were quiet; he would jerk awake, crying, and walk around the city until morning. Or he’d check on Sora, sitting at the boy’s desk until he woke up.

Sora, on the other hand, was loud. He pleaded, begging with whoever was in his dream to not hurt Kairi, or Riku, or any of his other friends. Some days, he didn’t wake up, just stayed trapped in the nightmare until morning, tears running down his face.

Most days, he woke up the whole house with his screams, Riku and Leon running in, blades ready. Sora usually collapsed, sobbing, onto Riku at that point.

Kairi, it seemed, didn’t have nightmares the matched the severity of her boys. Hers just jolted her awake, and she fell back asleep curled around her pillow, wishing she’d gone with Sora and Riku and telling herself she would next time they came back.

It took a while, but Riku discovered it first. On one of his vigils in Sora’s room, when the younger boy started pleading, Riku ran a hand through his hair and marveled as he relaxed into the touch. Sora seemed to sleep more peacefully if someone was in the room.

Leon agreed to take the next “shift.”

Sora stirred. “No… no… leave them alone… leave Kairi and Riku alone… no DON’T!”

Leon jolted, and Sora’s scream ran out again as he woke up, sobbing.

“Sora!” Leon rushed over and hugged the other boy.

“They’re gone… I lost them, Leon, they’re gone, they’re gone…”

“Shhhhh, Sora, they’re fine I promise, they’re just sleeping shhhhh…”

“No, I’m not.” Riku said.

Sora looked up. “Riku! You’re ok!”  

Riku grunted as he got an armful of spiky-haired brunet, hugging the boy close. “Course I am, Sora.”

Riku kept a constant vigil over Sora after that, sitting at his desk until morning or Sora woke up. Which wasn’t a problem for him; he could run on little to no sleep. He’d been able to do it since his first stint at Ansem’s vessel.

He tried not to think about that too much.

It didn’t stop Sora from worrying though.

* * *

 

“Riku! Come on, you need to sleep. I’ll be fine, go lay down.”

“No! You sleep better when I’m here!”

Sora sighed. “Go get some pillows from your room.”

“What?”

“Go get your pillow!”

“Why?”

Sora glared. “Because if you won’t sleep in your room, you’ll sleep with me!”

Riku spluttered. “Sora!”

“What?” Sora looked at him. “You,” he pointed at Riku, “are going to lay down,” he moved his finger to the bed, “here, and go to sleep. Like a normal person.”

Riku stared at Sora. “O…kay… I’ll… do that…”

“Good.”

Riku left the room, kind of shocked at Sora’s suggestion and the way he turned it into a demand. Sora’d grown while he wasn’t looking.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

By the time Riku came back to the room, Sora had made the bed up so they could share; two blankets and one rolled up in the middle, as a sort of divider.

“Sora?”

“Mmmpf?”

“You sure you’re ok with this?”

“Riku, if you don’t lay down in this bed- or any bed- in the next ten seconds, I’m casting Sleep on you.”

“…Okay.” Riku placed his pillow down on the side of the bed not occupied by Sora’s starfish position, closed his eyes, and slept.

For all of three hours.

Then he woke up, but not with his usual quiet cry. Just a small jolt, like he’d been falling. Falling into Darkness, he could still feel it crawling on his skin, but he looked over at Sora and smiled. Reached a hand out, crossing the blanketed barrier between him and, now in the Dark he could admit it to himself, between him and his Light. Brushed some of Sora’s hair back.

And the dam broke.

Everything that Riku’d been feeling, every fear he’d had since being rescued from the Realm of Darkness, came flooding out as he all but clung onto the sleeping boy beside him.

Who’d actually been awake to feel Riku jolt into consciousness, but let Riku talk into his back like he was still asleep.

* * *

 

Slowly, the barrier between the two fell. It was slow, but surprisingly always Riku who was breaking it. Reaching over to stroke Sora’s hair, feel Sora’s breath, or his pulse, or just his warmth.

So, naturally, it was Riku Leon found wrapped around Sora when he went to wake to two- much later than they’d normally be up.

Sora looked up when he entered, raising a finger to his lips. “He just fell back asleep an hour ago.”

Leon sighed. “And there’s no way you can get up without waking him, is there?”

Sora shook his head.

“Ok, but this is the only time…” He left, gently closing the door behind him.

It wasn’t the only time.

It actually happened weekly, often enough that Sora ( _Sora!_ ) had started keeping books from the library next to the bed so he’d have something to do while Riku slept, clinging to his waist.

“Mmmpf…” the sleepy groan signaled that Riku was beginning to wake up. He glanced up at Sora (well, Sora’s book), and smiled. “What’re you reading?”

Sora moved the book and smiled in return. “It’s called _The Bestiary_ but it’s mainly about dragons.”

“Dragons. Merlin has a book about dragons.”

“He’s a wizard, are you really surprised?”

“Are dragons even real?”

Sora gasped. “Yes! I’ve met one!”

Riku snorted. “When?”

“In China! His name’s Mushu!”

Riku laughed at Sora’s defensive tone. “Alright, alright. You know a dragon. What else is in that book?”

Sora shrugs. “There’s some stuff about Heartless and Nobodies in the back, handwritten. I don’t think it’s Merlin’s handwriting.”

“Huh.”

They sit in silence for a minute or two before Sora speaks up. “Hey, Riku?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t feel my legs.” 

Riku laughed and let his weight rest on Sora’s legs a moment more- causing the boy to squirm- before getting up.

“Did you sleep well?” Sora asked, standing and jumping a little to get circulation back in his legs.

Riku thought about it. “Yeah, actually. I did.”

“Great!” Sora grinned. “Maybe now you’ll be able to beat me in a spar!” He cackled and ran off towards the Bailey.

“Hey!” Riku chased after him. “Sora! I’m going to kick your ass!”

The streets of Radiant Garden echoed with their laughter.

* * *

 

“Hey… Riku, ” Sora gasped after their sparring match (that he won, thank you very much), “how d’you think Kairi’s doing?”

Riku shrugged. “Knowing her, probably fine. Why?”

Sora shrugged. “Just seems like there’s something missing sometimes, you know?”

Riku slumped down next to him. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“Should we visit soon?”

“Mmm… probably.”

Sora looked over at Riku. “I can’t wait till it’s all three of us again.”

Riku smiled. “Maybe we can go after dinner.”

“Really?!”

“I mean, we don’t have anything to do yet. We could go visit. Or bring Kairi back, I think these guys miss her.”

“Yeah!” Sora grinned up at him. “Let’s ask.”

Riku smirked. “Race you to Merlin’s!” He gets up and darts back through the streets of Radiant Garden, Sora right behind him.

* * *

 

Kairi was sitting on the deck outside the treehouse on the play island when the Gummi Ship arrived. She laughed excitedly, jumping down from the treehouse and running down the beach, shoes kicked off and sand flying behind her.

Sora grinned, starting to wave at her before being interrupted by an armful of redhead, Kairi managing to grab both he and Riku by the neck and her momentum sending all three crashing into the sand.

Riku laughed, “Missed you too, Kairi.”

Kairi squeezed them both tightly, mumbling something into the sand near Sora’s shoulder.

“What?” Sora sat up, pulling Kairi with him. “I couldn’t hear you. Also, you have sand on your face.”

“I said don’t leave me again.”

Riku frowned. “Kai… you know we can’t stay here. It’s not home for us anymore…”

“Then take me with you! My home is wherever you are! I can’t... can’t do this anymore.”

Sora brushed sand from her face. “Do what, Kai?”

“Worry like this!” She cried. “I’m so worried all the time… and I have nightmares… you never come back… never come to visit again… you’re lost out there and I have no idea because I decided that this,” she gestured to the sand around them, “is more home than you two… and I’ve regretted that since I let you fly off in that ship half a year ago.”

Riku sat up to his knees and wrapped his arms around both Kairi and Sora. “Ok. Ok,” he kisses her hair. “We won’t leave you here again.”

Sora nodded. “You can come back with us, if you want.”

Kairi nodded back. “I want to. I want to.”

“Ok. Ok.” Sora smiled. “Hey, did you think we’d make you stay here? We miss you too.”

Kairi choked out a laugh. “I guess not.”

Riku released them and stood up, pulling both Sora and Kairi with him. “Come on. We have all day here, then Kairi can go pack and come home with us.”

The other two grinned, nodding as they run along the play island.

* * *

 

Kairi got her own room in Merlin’s house, near the room Riku and Sora now shared. She was happy. She had her boys, and their rhythm quickly fell back into place; the boys would get up, wake Kairi up, eat, and then either explore Radiant Garden or go to the Bailey to spar. Kairi would always come with them, exploring or sparing just as easily.

Her nightmares, however, still plagued her. She still dreamt of Riku and Sora leaving and never coming back. She still woke up to the emptiness of not having them near, even if they were in the next room. So, when she jerked awake at night, she walked to Sora’s room and peaked in, surprised to see Riku there too, curled around the smaller boy, face pressed to his hair. Kairi pressed a hand to her mouth and backed out of the room.

She wasn’t surprised they were like that, not really. They’d always been close, even more so after Sora’s year of sleep and trying to find Riku again. It was hard to find one without the other. Even so, a piece of her- a piece she was trying to ignore- was jealous. She wasn’t sure of who; wasn’t sure which part of that pile she wanted to be. Did she want to be Riku, curled around Sora? Or did she want to be Sora, with Riku curled around her? Or… did she just want an invitation to join? Did she want both of them?

She wandered around Radiant Gardens as she pondered, eventually finding Leon, who was on patrol.

“Kairi? Are you alright?” he asked.

“Hmmm? Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? I don’t normally see you without the boys.”

“They’re… asleep. Together.”

“Oh. Yeah. It helps with their nightmares.”

“Oh.”

Leon looks at her. “You should talk to them.”

“About what?”

“About your nightmares.”

“No, it’s fine. Theirs are so much worse-”

“That doesn’t mean yours are invalid. Talk to them.” Leon smiles. “It may help more than you think.”

“…Okay,” Kairi agreed.

“Well, now that you’re up, want to help me more with the restorations?”

Kairi smiled. “Yeah, sure!”

* * *

 

Riku woke up a few hours later and gazed down at Sora, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Sora. We should wake up.”

Sora groaned. “Don’t wanna.” He rolled over. “Go get Kai, I’ll be up by then.”

Riku chuckled. “Needy.”

“But you love me.”

“Hmmm… do I?”

Neither of them could pinpoint when their relationship turned into this. This playful, loving banter, the chaste kisses shared back and forth. Those interactions were only for this room, when they were hidden away. To everyone else, nothing about their dynamic had changed.

However, both of them felt like there was something missing.

Riku pressed another kiss to Sora’s cheek and rolled out of the bed. “You’d better be up by the time I get Kairi.”

“Mmph” Sora agreed.

Riku shook his head and got dressed, heading out and over to Kairi’s room. Finding it empty, he wandered through Radiant Garden. “Kairi?”

She turned from where she was helping Leon. “Morning, Riku!”

“What’re you dong up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“You ok?”

Kairi nodded. “For now. I need to talk to you and Sora later though.”

“Alright. Sora said he wouldn’t get up without you, we could talk now?”

“Okay.” Kairi stood, waving to Leon as they walked away, Kairi keeping an awkward distance from Riku, who doesn’t say anything about it even though he notices.

* * *

 

“Wait,” Sora started, “you’ve been having these nightmares for months since being back with us and didn’t tell us? Or let us help?”

Kairi shrugged. “I didn’t want you to worry. You two have enough on your plates without worrying about me.”

“We want to worry about you.” Riku cut in.

Kairi smiled. “I don’t want you to have to.”

Sora scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her. “Then let us help.”

“…Like how you two help each other?”

Riku looked up at her. “You saw us? Is that why you were distant this morning.”

She looked down.

Riku frowned and sat down on the other side of her. “You know, Sora and I have been thinking that something’s missing from that.”

“Huh?”

“From our bed in the mornings.”

“What’s missing?” Kairi asked.

Sora planted a kiss on her cheek. “You.”

* * *

 

Riku, Sora, and Kairi no longer had a home on Destiny Islands. But that was okay.

“Kairi, Sora,” Riku promted, kissing both of them awake. “We all slept through the night.”

The other two blinked up at him and laughed happily, nightmares finally, after over a year and a half, falling into the background.

It was okay. Because they’d found a home in each other.


End file.
